Question about tires (Fairbanks, North Pole: to buy, storage, garage)

[Dakster]

Yikes - 200 miles costs $100 to drive your truck. About $0.50 per mile in just fuel... Works out to around 8 miles per gallon... Of course that is assuming $4 / gal fuel. (not sure what you are paying at the moment)

Either way, I can see why you like driving the civic. That $100 probably pays for the month for fuel for it. I'd get those plugs and battery changed/charged asap.

[xcv]

Go online or have a national store order them with wheels! Keep your regular tires and wheels for summer. The reason you keep the wheels is so you can change them yourself.

[cjs123]

On my two visits to Fairbanks, March 2011 was rather icy and Feb 2012 less so. Overall, did OK with the AWD mid-size SUV rental from Avis and plan on renting from them again in Jan 2013. During my visits I drive between Cleary Summit and Fairbanks. Avis' site mentions they have 'snow tires' on request, but I do not know if this means studded tires.

Are snow tires, winter tires, and studded tires the same thing?

I find that when calling a place the info I receive depends on who answers the phone that day--so while I will be calling Avis about their specific tires and availability, I want to ask here as well. Thanks.

[Meadow-Mama]

Nice ride, Ray! I saw that Costco is the only option for Blizzaks around here (currently in MT), so I'll likely have the. Installed. It's a family ride and I don't foresee myself doing a lot of off road type stuff this winter! I do have quite a lot of experience with all sorts of weather and driving! But, safer is better.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Dakster

Yikes - 200 miles costs $100 to drive your truck. About $0.50 per mile in just fuel... Works out to around 8 miles per gallon... Of course that is assuming $4 / gal fuel. (not sure what you are paying at the moment)

Either way, I can see why you like driving the civic. That $100 probably pays for the month for fuel for it. I'd get those plugs and battery changed/charged asap.

Fuel has been under $4.00 per gallon for a couple of weeks, but since our vehicles take a lot more time idling during the winter, more fuel than normal is used. Driving the Civic takes about $28.00 per week instead of $100.00

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Meadow-Mama

Nice ride, Ray! I saw that Costco is the only option for Blizzaks around here (currently in MT), so I'll likely have the. Installed. It's a family ride and I don't foresee myself doing a lot of off road type stuff this winter! I do have quite a lot of experience with all sorts of weather and driving! But, safer is better.

Just keep in mind that the Blizzack's rubber is softer than all-season tires. But if you are driving here during the winter, I see no trouble with much tire wear.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by cjs123

On my two visits to Fairbanks, March 2011 was rather icy and Feb 2012 less so. Overall, did OK with the AWD mid-size SUV rental from Avis and plan on renting from them again in Jan 2013. During my visits I drive between Cleary Summit and Fairbanks. Avis' site mentions they have 'snow tires' on request, but I do not know if this means studded tires.

Are snow tires, winter tires, and studded tires the same thing?

I find that when calling a place the info I receive depends on who answers the phone that day--so while I will be calling Avis about their specific tires and availability, I want to ask here as well. Thanks.

Snow tires have treads that are more aggressive than all-season and summer tires, and come in two versions: studded and non-studded.

However, Blizzack tires don't have steel studs like a snow-studded tire does. It has instead a sort of non-skid (like sand or metallic shaving) material mixed-in with the rubber compound in the treads. Also, the treads are a little more pronounced than an all-season tire. This tread is designed to serve as a snow tire, and to provide friction on glare ice. A snow tire without steel studs provides traction when driving on snow and soft ground because it has very aggressive treads, but not so much when driving on ice. But add steel studs to a snow tire, and it provides traction on both snow and ice. Blizzack tires do both to a lesser degree on both snow and ice.

That said, steel studs do wear out in two or three seasons, while the material used on Blizzack tire lats for the duration of the tire since it's mixed-in with the rubber compound on the tread, although the rubber compound is softer.

[cjs123]

Appreciate the info, Ray, and looking forward to being in Fairbanks again soon.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by cjs123

Are snow tires, winter tires, and studded tires the same thing?

Snow Tires and Winter Tires are roughly interchangeable terms. The actual term is Winter Rated Tires, which are designated by the M+S stamp on the sidewall indicating they meet the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) guidelines for a mud and snow tire, and the little Snowflake symbol indicating they pass the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) testing procedure described in "RMA Definition for Passenger and Light Truck Tires for use in Severe Snow Conditions".

Metal studs can be added separately if desired to help with traction on Ice.

AFAIK, Avis at the FAI airport does not have any vehicles with studs. They do switch most of their rentals over to winter tires however. And they also rent 4WD Toyota RAV 4's and even have Subaru Outbacks now. Also, during the slow winter periods they often upgrade me from a standard car to a 4wd for free. You might be able to work a deal like this at the counter when you arrive. But as discussed earlier in this thread, most of the time when I'm up in Fairbanks for just a day or two on business, a front wheel drive Camry with winter tires is more than adequate.

[cjs123]

Thanks for the info, Moose--in the past Avis told me they use all-weather tires; they didn't say anything about changing over to winter tires so that is good to know.